


Secrets

by lea_hazel



Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: Cultural Differences, Established Relationship, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Secrets, Sneaking Around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-04
Updated: 2015-10-04
Packaged: 2018-05-01 03:00:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5189579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lea_hazel/pseuds/lea_hazel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hamin may have underestimated Lori just a bit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

She was only resting her eyes, honestly. 

A lady of Corval's imperial court knew better than to let her guard down, especially when surrounded by her peers both Corvali and otherwise. Even if she hadn't had material evidence of conspiracies and death threats, she still should have remained vigilant at all hours of the day and night. And she would. And she  _did_. Only, she had had several long days in a row, and it wasn't as though she'd been sleeping so soundly of late. And so she laid her head down on her desk for just a short moment. 

But a lifetime of vigilance had left Loriela with superlative survival instincts. She did not know what, exactly, had alerted her to the presence of an intruder in her chamber. It could have been the sound of breathing, the shift of the air around a moving body, even the subtle change in temperature could have tipped her off. All of a sudden she bolted upright, tensed, perfectly alert at a moment's notice. 

"Hello, Glitter." 

Lori raised a single delicate eyebrow. "Hello, Pirate Prince," she said. "What on earth are you doing in my bedroom? And how did you get in?" 

Her mind raced, trying to catalog all possible breaches in security. If Hamin could find his way into her room, so could other, less  _benign_  elements. And she had already witnessed on her first week that the inviolacy of the guest quarters was not as diplomatically water-proof as the Isle natives would have her believe. 

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I will tell you everything, if you need to know, all right?" 

"All right," she agreed, relaxing minutely. 

"Glitter." 

"...What?" she asked, starting to get irritated. 

"Can you put down the knife now?" he asked. "Please." 

"Oh." 

With a drawn out sigh she retracted the letter opener in her hand and set it carefully on her desk, weighing down a pile of unopened envelopes that threatened to scatter in the light evening wind. 

Hamin breathed an audible sigh of relief. 

" _What_?" she demanded, her ire creeping up on her again. 

"Nothing!" he said, putting his hands back up. "I'm glad you're able to take care of yourself, really. I only wish you'd tell me what has you so up in arms." 

"Really," said Lori. "You mean, like you told me what you got up to last week on the night of the matchmaker's feast?" 

"That's a low blow, Glitter," said Hamin. 

"Why, because I'm right and you know it?" she asked. 

"There are things that I can't tell you because they'll put you in danger," he said. 

"Pirate," said Lori, her patience finally snapping, "you have  _no idea_  how dangerous the Corval court is." 

His eyes narrowed. "Who's threatening you?" 

"Who isn't?" she said with a sigh and a shrug. "And you still haven't answered my question. Couldn't you visit in the early evening hours, instead of putting both of us at risk by -- I am assuming you climbed in through the window, or something equally absurd." 

He grinned, wiping any trace of the argument from before. "If I told you all my secrets, it would take all the fun out of things." 

Lori shook her head sadly. "If you were hoping to catch a glimpse of me in my sleepwear, you're destined to disappointment and will simply have to cultivate your patience." 

"Ah, patience," said Hamin sagely. "One of the many virtues of the true pirate captain." 

"Just--" she rubbed at her eyes. "Just don't sneak up on me like that again. And cover your tracks." 

He bent down and kissed her cheek. "Anything you say, Glitter." 

"I will hold you to that. Now shoo," she waved both hands at him, "I have work to do."


End file.
